1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates generally to mechanical harvesters for use in harvesting grapes, raisins and similarly situated crops. More specifically, the present invention relates to such harvesters that are self-propelled and able to separate the crop from overhead vines. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to such mechanical harvesters and methods of harvesting that are suitable for continuously harvesting a single row of crops grown on an overhead trellis system.
2. Background
As is well known, the conventional methods of harvesting grapes, raisins and other vine crops is typically a very labor intensive process requiring a significant number of laborers to separate the crop from the vines. These methods generally require the labor crews to walk through the vineyard and individually cut clusters of fruit from the vine. With regard to raisin production, the conventional method of harvesting raisins require the laborers to place the clusters of raisin grapes on drying trays or strips of paper located along or near the rows of vines. The green raisin grapes are then left on the paper trays for a sufficient period of time to allow the sun to dry them into raisins. In the Central Valley area of California, this typically requires the fruit to lie in the sun for approximately three weeks. During the drying period, the raisins are at risk of being ruined by mold, infestation and rot. This risk can be increased by any rain that may occur during the drying period. After the raisins are sufficiently dry, the paper trays are rolled into sealed packages and set aside for retrieval. The raisins are then picked up and emptied into conventional raisin bulk bins that are pulled behind a tractor on bin trailers through the rows of vines and then delivered for processing. While the conventional method of harvesting grapes and raisins provides the maximum flexibility, it is very expensive due to its labor intensiveness.
Various mechanisms have been developed to improve the efficiency of grape and raisin production and to reduce the costs associated with harvesting grapes and raisins. Some of these mechanisms are addressed to machines capable of removing the green grapes from the vines and placing them on the paper trays for drying. A mechanism for mechanically collecting the raisins placed on paper trays is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,665 to Decker. Other mechanical harvesting of conventionally produced raisins have been developed. In general, the machines for mechanically harvesting conventionally grown and dried grapes and raisins have not been readily accepted due, in part, to the cost of the equipment and the fact it does not reduce the risks associated with rain damage.
To reduce the cost associated with harvesting grapes, raisins and other vine crops, growers have developed various new methods of growing the crops that are more suitable for reducing labor costs. The conventional method of raising grapes or raisins is to grow the vines in separate parallel rows utilizing a trellis system that runs along the row producing rows of vines approximately four to six feet high. With regard to growing raisins, one improvement is referred to as the dried-on-the-vine (xe2x80x9cDOVxe2x80x9d) methods. The DOV methods of growing raisins leaves the grape clusters on the vines during the drying process, as opposed to laying them on paper trays for the dried-on-the-ground method. Labor crews go through the vineyard and cut the fruiting canes so that the grapes on those canes will dry to produce raisins. U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,561 to Conley describes an improved DOV method of producing raisins with a modified conventional trellis system that trains the canes into a divided canopy with the fruiting canes primarily on one side of the rows and renewal canes on the opposite side.
Several harvesting machines have been developed to harvest DOV raisins. Examples of these machines are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,355,667 to Scott, U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,696 to Walker and U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,276 to Walker. Generally, these patents describe harvesting machines that are either pulled or driven between the rows of vines with a plurality of rods or paddles extending from the side of the harvester such that the rods or paddles engage the plants to dislodge the grapes or raisins therefrom. The dislodged grapes or raisins are collected on a conveyance system and transported up and over the vines into a truck or bin trailer pulled be a tractor in the adjacent row.
There are a number of other methods of growing grapes and raisins that take advantage of the DOV principles. Some of these methods utilize the conventional trellis system while others utilize less commonly employed trellis systems, such as an overhead trellis system. The overhead trellis systems allow the vines to be trained such that the canes grow over the trellis wires disposed between rows of upright posts that are placed along the rows of vines. The posts have one or more cross-arms that are connected to the trellis wires. The canes grow from the head of the vine and are placed across the wires such that the crop will grow in a generally vertical downward direction from the canes between the rows. One method of growing grapes and raisins on an overhead trellis system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,109 to Pitts, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein. In this method of growing vines, the vine plants are separated to form four cordons and trained such that two pairs of cordons grow along the rows but opposite each other. Canes produced by the cordons grow substantially perpendicular to the cordons toward the canes produced by an adjacent row of vines over an overhead trellis structure. During each growing season, one row is a fruiting row and the adjacent row is a renewal row. During the following season, the function of the rows is reversed. This method of growing grapes and raisins is referred to as the quadrilateral, alternate bearing method and has been found to substantially increase production of grapes and raisins.
Harvesting overhead trellis systems by hand requires the labor crews to walk or ride on a trailer through the fruiting row to pick off the fruit clusters and deposit them in pans or buckets, which are then dumped into conventional raisin bins or juice gondolas. The bins or gondolas are hauled on trailers and pulled through the rows by tractors. When loaded, the tractor and full containers travel the length of the row and exit at the first available avenue. After exiting the row, the tractor and trailer exchanges the full containers for empty containers and returns back to the beginning of the row to rejoin the picking crew. Second tractor/trailer units are often added to minimize harvesting stoppage. As with other hand harvesting methods, this method is very expensive due to its labor intensiveness.
Mechanical harvesters for harvesting grapes or raisins grown on an overhead trellis system are also known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,166 to Scott is directed to a grape and raisin harvester in the form of a trailer that utilizes a series of spinning rods fashioned into a rotating rolling brush that knocks the grapes or raisins off the plants and into one or more boxes located on the trailer platform. The harvester is pulled along the row by a tractor. The rotating rolling brush, referred to as a shaker head, is raised or lowered by the use of hydraulic cylinders linked to the shaker head. No reference is made to how the full boxes are emptied or replaced with empty boxes so that the harvester can continue to harvest. U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,276 to Walker, primarily a device for harvesting DOV raisins grown on modified conventional trellises, suggests that the harvester head can be disposed such that the beater rods extend upward for use in overhead trellis systems. However, no reference is made to how the conveying system is modified to convey the raisins over the vines.
Another apparatus for mechanically harvesting grapes or raisins developed by Mr. Lee Simpson in Madera County, California, is a self-propelled harvester that utilizes a rotating tubular mechanism to knock off the raisin clusters below the trellis wires into a hopper and a conveyor system to transport the raisins backward to deposit them into a bin attached to forklift-type tines on the back of the harvester. A hand crew follows behind to remove the raisin clusters above the trellis wires or otherwise missed by the rotating tube. After the bin is filled, the harvester is stopped, backs up and then drops the bin on the ground. The harvester then moves forward to space itself from the dropped bin so that an empty bin can be manually moved over behind the harvester so that it may be picked up by the tines on the back of the harvester. A forklift or other apparatus then picks up the full bin and removes it from the row. This system requires the empty bins to either be previously placed, hopefully strategically, along the row or the row adjacent to that being harvested or delivered to the harvester""s stop point by a trailer or tractor. Failure to properly place the empty bins requires additional handling of the bins and the labor associated therewith. Even with strategically placed empty bins, this harvester and method of harvesting still requires a significant amount of labor and results in a certain amount of wasted (i.e., non-harvesting) time for dropping off the bins, moving empty bins and retrieving the full bins.
A problem common to the various mechanical harvesting machines and methods is the transfer and removal of the crop from the field or vineyard. This is particularly a problem for growing methods that utilize an overhead trellis system, where trellis wires prevent or make difficult the transfer of crop over the top of the vines to an adjacent row or rows. It can be appreciated, therefore, that what is needed is a mechanical harvester and method of harvesting that is beneficial for those growers who utilize an overhead trellis system for growing crops, such as grapes and raisins. The desirable harvester and method would be suitable for harvesting crops grown with an overhead trellis system and would permit the harvesting of the crop to take place as quickly and efficiently as possible with the fewest number of laborers and wasted effort moving empty, partially full or full bins. To accomplish this, the desired harvester and method of harvesting should harvest all or the vast majority of the crop off of the plants and permit the empty and full bins to be switched out quickly with as few as laborers as necessary.
The mechanical harvester and continuous row harvesting method of the present invention solves the problems and provides the benefits identified above. That is to say, the present invention provides a harvester and method of harvesting for crops grown on an overhead trellis system that results in improved removal of the crop off the plants while substantially reducing the amount of time and labor necessary to switch out full bins and replace them with empty bins and to remove the full bins from the field. The use of the harvester and method of the present invention permits nearly continuous harvesting of a row of crops grown on an overhead trellis system. As a result of the use of the harvester and method of harvesting of the present invention, the grower can more efficiently and effectively harvest the crops, such as grapes and raisins, while reducing his or her dependance on manual labor, thereby substantially reducing the cost of such harvesting.
In the primary embodiment of the present invention, the harvester of the present invention primarily comprises a harvester frame having a top portion and a pair of opposing sides with one or more leg members on each side. The harvester frame is shaped and configured so as to permit one or more bins, located on bin trailers being pulled by a tractor or other device, to pass through the harvester frame below the top portion. A crop separating mechanism is attached to the top portion of the frame for separating the crop from the overhead plant material canopy. The crop separating mechanism is configured to extend above the top portion of the harvester frame to engage the overhead plant material so as to cause the fruit to be separated from the canopy and fall into the harvester and then be deposited in a bin. A motor is attached to the harvester frame and is configured to drive one or more wheels that are rotatably attached to each of the leg members. An operator in an operator control unit attached to the harvester frame controls the movement of the harvester through the field. In the preferred embodiment, the harvester has a first conveyor belt in the top portion of the harvester frame that is belt configured for receiving the crop that is separated from the plant material and for moving the crop in a direction substantially parallel to the sides of the harvester frame. The preferred embodiment also comprises a pair of cross conveyor belts for receiving the crop from the first conveyor belt and conveying the crop in a direction inward and substantially perpendicular to the sides of the harvester frame to a center opening between the cross conveyor belts so that it may fall into the bin for transport out of the field. A fan is utilized to blow air across the fruit and associate plant material separated from the canopy so as to cause the plant debris, such as leaves and stems, to be separated from the fruit and directed through a duct unit out a discharge opening on the side of the harvester.
The crop separating mechanism can be a sickle bar having a pair of teeth-shaped bars that reciprocate relative to each other to cut clusters of grapes or raisins off at the stem, an elongated tubular member rotatably attached to the top portion of the harvester frame substantially perpendicular to the sides of the harvester frame and configured to rotate about its longitudinal axis or it can be one or more rows of rod separators that each have a plurality of rods attached to a shaft member. In the preferred embodiment, the rods of the rod separator are in a common plane directed rearward of the forward end of the harvester frame and the shaft member is operatively connected to a drive member, such as a cam, suitable for rapidly moving the rods in a vertical direction so as to impart a flexing action to the rods to better loosen the fruit clusters from the overhead canopy. Preferably, the harvester utilizes multiple types of crop separating mechanisms, with the sickle bar and tubular member being at or near the forward end of the harvester to separate any low hanging fruit clusters from the canopy and the rod separators being rearward of the tubular member to separate any fruit clusters located in the canopy. The harvester should also comprise a mechanism for raising and lowering the top portion of the harvester or the entire frame, as desired, so as to permit the operator to adjust the height of the top portion so that it may safely fit under the trellis system wires or cross-members. The harvester can include a hydraulic powered mechanism for selectively changing the width of the harvester as necessary to accommodate crop rows of different widths.
The method of the present invention preferably comprises the step of locating the harvester at the beginning of a row of overhead plants having crop to be harvested followed by the steps of positioning one or more bins under the top portion of the harvester and adjusting the height of the harvester to fit under the trellis wires. Once the bin is positioned and the height is set, the harvester and bin are moved forward so that the crop separating mechanisms on the harvester may separate the fruit from the overhead plants where it will fall on a first conveyor belt. The first conveyor belt conveys the fruit, consisting of fruit and associated plant material, to one or more cross conveyor belts where it is deposited and then conveyed to a center opening. At the center opening the fruit is dropped into a bin. Once the bin is filled, it is removed from the field and a second bin unit is transported under the top portion of the harvester frame such that an empty bin is located under the center opening to receive additional fruit.
Accordingly, the primary objective of the present invention is to provide a mechanical harvester and continuous row harvesting method for use in overhead trellis systems having the features generally described above and more specifically described below in the detailed description.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a mechanical harvester and harvesting method that substantially reduces the difficulty in supplying a harvester with empty bins and for removing full bins from the field by combining these steps into one step requiring less bins, tractor and trailer units and laborers.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a self-propelled mechanical harvester that comprises a frame member and sides that form a generally upside down U-shaped structure so as to permit bins, and their associated tractors and trailers, to pass through the open space between the top and sides.
It is also an important objective of the present invention to provide a mechanical harvester that has one or more crop separating mechanisms for dislodging fruit from an overhead plant canopy such that it falls on the harvester and is conveyed to one or more bins for storing or transporting the fruit from the field.
Yet another important objective of the present invention is to provide a method of harvesting that permits the grower to harvest an entire row of crops in a continuous fashion without having to stop the harvester to replace full fruit bins with empty bins.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a method of collecting fruit from an overhead plant canopy, separating out the plant debris material from the fruit and depositing the fruit into a bin that can be easily removed from the field and replaced with an empty bin.
The above and other objectives of the present invention will be explained in greater detail by reference to the attached figures and the description of the preferred embodiment which follows. As set forth herein, the present invention resides in the novel features of form, construction, mode of operation and combination of parts presently described and understood by the claims.